MS tightens screws on loose product keys

Microsoft is tightening the screws further on pirate copies of Windows by disabling Internet activation of XP product keys for software distributed by all of the large OEMs. The move however doesn’t take the company anywhere close to universal compliance, and seems more intended to reduce casual copying and leakage from the PC channel.

The latest move, which was first revealed by Aviran Mordo earlier this week, places restrictions on a mechanism used by OEMs to bypass Product Activation.